NO MULLIGANS FOR DISCONTENT PLAYERS (Article 120)

Commentary: Some circumstances require starting a game over before East discards the first tile:

• Destroyed wall
• Errors during passing that can’t be rectified
• Players have the wrong number of tile (exception below)

Being discontent with the progress of hand development is not one of them.  There are no mulligans in mah jongg.

Question from a player:  If one or more players don’t like their hand after the Charleston is over, can we throw in the tiles and start the game over?

Answer from the NMJL: If it is discovered, during the Charleston, that any player has an incorrect number of tiles, the hands are thrown in and replayed. There is one exception to this rule. If the player to the left of East is the player missing a tile, that player may take the next tile from the wall, since it was rightfully theirs. This may only be done before East discards.

Source:  Mah Jongg Made Easy (2024 page 14 bullet 1)

Other answers from the league:

“No game is ever thrown in and played over.”

Sources for other answers:  National Mah Jongg League Bulletin Q&A (1994 page 14 bullet 8 and 9)